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Totally agree with DB on this.
I see a thread about whether or not the site is in its death throes and this poster is not helping matters one iota. Anyone new looking at the menu in Horse Racing is unlikely to return because the forum looks like a joke.
And why can’t we stop him? Is he probably from the IS? How can we combat this guy?
Air strikes – it’s the only way.
Well done Drone.
The only time Virago won over a mile at 3 was in the 1,000 Guineas. Her only defeat in 12 races at 3 came when brought back in distance to 6f, but she regained winning form when stepped back up to 3m next time out!
I’ve sent a link to this thread to AOB in case he wants to consider a similar route to Newmarket for Ballydoyle next spring. I’m entertained by the idea of a horse running seven miles in four races before lining up for the Guineas, and I’m sure Coolmore will be similarly impressed. More seriously, it was a different world back then.
Anyway, over to you.
The name of the filly in question is the same as that of a publishing company founded in 1973.
I remember as a teenager all those runners he used to have around the Scottish tracks. Pidgeon Toes was a Hamilton regular.
steeplechasing – Poston’s most prolific horse was undoubtedly Homefield, another frequent visitor to Scotland. This horse had an unusual form profile. He started 1973 as a 5-y-o maiden but improved to win 5 handicaps that year. He was off the course in 1974 and ran unplaced in all his outings in 1975. Then in 1976 he rediscovered his vigour to win another 5 races. He was a front runner who loved firm ground and would invariably slip his field and come home unchallenged.
I’m willing to bet my maximum that Homefield was Poston’s only runner in a group race. On the crest of his 1973 sequence Poston put him in the Goodwood Cup, in which he again went clear only to be swallowed up by Proverb and the rest early in the straight.
Do you recall the horse?
Another Manners story, and one that illustrates his capacity for celebrating a winner.
His wife Audrey had been at Newcastle saddling up Killeshin for a run in the 1996 Eider Chase. Upon her return she found a note, as follows:
“Darling Audrey. Gone to bed drunk with happiness (scotch). You looked super on the box. I felt very proud of you. Come and get it! If you want it! XXXXX.”
Manners must have been all of 70 at that time and his stamina should be admired. In fact, I’m wondering who had the most arduous outing – Killeshin ploughing through 33 furlongs of Newcastle’s rain-softened turf or Manners ensconced in the marital bedroom with Audrey.
*Flat Jockey of the Year – Silvestre De Sousa
*Jump Jockey of the Year – Richard Johnson
*Villain of the Year – Coolmore
*Hero of the Year – Bryan Cooper
*Flat Horse of the Year – Golden Horn
*Jumps Horse of the Year – Coneygree
*Flat Trainer of the Year – John Gosden
*Jumps Trainer of the Year – Willie Mullins
*Racing Journalist of the Year – Alistair Down
*Racecourse of the Year – Cartmel
*Riding Performance of the Year – Frankie Dettori (Arc)
*Lifetime Achievement Award – Red Cadeaux
As one or two participants may have concluded, the two Epsom races were the City & Suburban and the Great Metropolitan handicaps.
To narrow down the options it might help to find out when these races were inaugurated and when, subsequently, three-year-olds were prohibited from entering them.
Use of a search engine might be advisable.
Manners was banned for 3 years in 1988 following the triumph of Voices of Spring at his local point-to-point at Siddington, near Cirencester in Gloucestershire.
The sweet taste of victory quickly turned to ashes when the trainer was observed by mystified spectators to be putting the weight cloth on the horse after the race instead of before it (like everybody else).
Stories concerning Manners abound. I’m sure the aforementioned David Ashforth has written about him, and maybe it was he who revealed to an unsuspecting world that Manners was in the habit of mowing his lawn in the middle of the night wearing only long johns or, subject to favourable weather conditions, totally naked.
I’m not sure where to pitch this but here goes.
Which Guineas winner’s enterprising preparation for the 8f Newmarket classic consisted of running in, and winning, a 10f handicap at Epsom, an 18f handicap at Epsom (both on the same day), a 16f handicap at York and a 12f handicap at York (on successive days).
Thanks, aaron.
BigG – I was looking at past Hennessy winners the other day, being curious to know how many horses had won both that race and the Cheltenham Gold Cup (and in what order). In so doing the name of Ricky Vallance conveniently stuck in my brain, otherwise I might well have looked around in vain as did you. :)
Question to follow shortly.
The question concerns winning principals in the Hennessy Gold Cup.
Jeff KING was the winning jockey in 1967 as was Richard PITMAN in 1972. The winning trainer in 1973 was RICKY VALLANCE, who also had a No 1 hit on the popular music charts in 1960 with ‘Tell Laura I Love Her’.
On reflection, that might have been another Ricky Vallance.
Whatever, RUBY Walsh was the victorious rider in 2003. The 2005 renewal was won by Trabolgan ridden by Mick Fitzgerald and trained by Nicky Henderson. Maybe there’s a nickname in there somewhere for the Bigfoot reference.
How good it is to see someone sticking it to certain bookmakers. I wait with bated breath for further developments.
…if Ladbrokes do dump their sponsorship of the dreadfully naff-sounding World Hurdle and the race resumes being the Stayers’ Hurdle or better still the Spa Hurdle I for one will slurp Nick Rust a big, wet lippy for sticking with this welcome initiative.
I can hardly bring myself to utter the words ‘World Hurdle’. Writing them is painful enough. It’s a contemptuous title for what is, and always will be in my house, the Stayers’ Selling Hurdle. For it is this race which is the true forerunner of the Grade 1 race currently run over 3m on the third day of the Cheltenham Festival at 3:20pm.
The original conditions of the Stayers’ Selling Hurdle should obviously be reinstated. These conditions provide for the winner of the race to be subsequently sold for 50 quid. The chance of buying Annie Power for such a reasonable sum might well tempt me to Cheltenham next Spring.
I have never known a horse win a Cheltenham Gold Cup…Before a Hennesey one.I have seen plenty do it the other way round and will be interested how this stat fares…
Eight horses have won both the Hennessy & Cheltenham Gold Cups. Of those, four won a Hennessy first, namely Mandarin (HGC 1957/1961 & CGC 1962) Bregawn (HGC 1982 & CGC 1983) Denman (HGC 2007/2009 & CGC 2008) and Bobs Worth (HGC 2012 & CGC 2013).
Those who won at Cheltenham before Newbury were Kerstin (CGC 1958 & HGC 1959) Mill House (CGC 1963 & HGC 1963) Arkle (CGC 1964/1965/1966 & HGC 1964/1965) and Burrough Hill Lad (CGC 1984 & HGC 1984).
Hope that helps.
DB – I guess nobody owns the rights to a particular question. At least, that’s what my solicitor just told me.
In any event it didn’t do any harm to widen the audience, even if an answer failed to materialise.
DB – I’m not Jamie so it’s a bit of a coincidence his question arose so close on the heels of mine.
I did raise the subject on another forum a couple of years ago and it has lain dormant in the dark recesses of my brain ever since. Not to worry.
On the subject of non-monetary prizes for jockeys, those finishing in the first 3 in the Newmarket Town Plate apparently receive a clothing voucher and a box of sausages for their efforts. It’s not exactly champagne but at least it means the recipients will be well-dressed and well-fed. Until the sausages run out, that is.
